two cents

if in the start of your relationship you have concerns about something regarding your new partner, it's pretty likely that the concern will be the reason you part ways in the end. just saying.

jay-z, what happened to you?

on my way back from sarasota to stuart a few weeks ago i was scanning through the radio stations and the "paris" jay-z & kanye west collabo song was on. this was one of the worst songs i ever heard and it had a very lil wayne feel. jay-z is officially in the toilet. not just cause i'm older now, but because he sucks and his lyrics are bad. bad meaning bad, not bad meaning good.

things i have learned these past two weeks

1. i hate the telephone. text me. i do not want to talk
2. sarasota isn't all that sucky
3. english bed and breakfasts are where it's at
4. i don't hate people, i just like it better when they aren't around
5. through some sort of magic my car got 370 miles to the tank last week
6. cable sucks and it is an overpriced waste of money. cancelled.
7. craft beers make me way drunker way faster than i am interested in ever being
8. half an ambien can be my best friend
9. people that think a relationship makes them a complete person are fucking idiots
10. justin vernon has the most beautiful voice
11. the stuart airshow brings the community out. it's gay but it was sweet to see the old folks all sitting outside with their faces turned to the sky at the nursing home on palm beach road this past weekend. kids and oldies, gotta love em.

laugh hard, it's a long way to the bank

this is absolute bullshit

http://www.tcpalm.com/news/2011/oct/05/eve-samples-these-three-numbers-are-too-for-high/



Eve Samples: These three numbers are too offensive for Martin County high schools



By Eve Samples



Wednesday, October 5, 2011

Sneakers in every color of the rainbow line the wall at Teak Leasor's skate shop across from the Martin County Courthouse.



There are red Nikes with teal swooshes, dark blue Adidas with light blue stripes.



Nearby, a rack of Made in the U.S.A. T-shirts are emblazoned with the name of Leasor's store, Five Six One Skateboarding.

 The apparel is popular with parts of the high school set in Martin County — but teenagers had better not try to wear the shirts to school.



Ginger Cullere's son, Cole, made that mistake last month.



When the sophomore at Martin County High showed up for class wearing a T-shirt bearing the skate shop's name, he was promptly instructed to turn it inside-out. When that didn't appease school officials, he had to remove the offending shirt and wear a school-issued replacement for the remainder of the day.



"I could see if it had a pot leaf," Ginger Cullere said.



But just three numerals were printed on it: 561.



Most of us know them as the area code for Palm Beach County. A decade ago, 561 also was the area code on the Treasure Coast — and that's why Leasor named his business Five Six One Skateboarding when he opened it 11 years ago.


He had no idea the numbers would become linked to gangs based in Palm Beach County, namely Top 6 and 561 Boyz.



"I thought it would be easy to catch on and not too pretentious," Leasor told me.


He was thinking like an entrepreneur. Silly him.



Leasor is not one to raise a ruckus or attend school board meetings (he didn't contact me for this story — I called him), but the ban has definitely cut into sales.


At least 30 percent of his customers are high school students, he estimated.



"I've had multiple kids tell me that they're not allowed to wear the shirts, so they're not going to purchase one for school," Leasor said.



The student handbook for Martin County High doesn't explicitly prohibit apparel with 561 or other area codes on it.



It states "no messages, pictures, symbols or clothing may be worn or displayed which portray ideas that are harmful to the health, safety and welfare of students, e.g., messages which relate to drugs, smoking, alcohol, sex, gangs, profanity or violence."


Jensen Beach High School and South Fork High School have similar prohibitions.



When I asked Martin County School District officials for their take on the matter, spokeswoman Cathy Brennan sent me this statement:




"Our schools work collaboratively with the Martin County Sheriff's Office to monitor items that are known to be commonly used as gang identifiers. Our priority is always student safety and we want to prevent issues on our campuses in which these items could be misconstrued as being gang-related."


She also emailed me the link to a YouTube video in which a Top 6 gang member briefly appears wearing a hat with 561 printed on it.

 Ginger Cullere thinks the district is taking its enforcement of the dress code too far.




She said her son is a "good kid" who takes pride in his appearance. Cole doesn't wear saggy pants. He won't go to school in a wrinkled shirt.

He's certainly not in a gang.

 "He takes so much pride in his clothes, and he can't wear them," she said.


Nor can he carry his backpack, which he bought from Leasor's store, to school.




Ginger Cullere pointed out that members of the notorious Bloods gang are known to wear red. Crips wear blue.


"So if you wear a solid red shirt or solid blue, you're a gang member?" she asked.

Of course not.


Nor are you automatically promoting a gang if you wear the numbers 561.


So far, Leasor's shop has weathered the recession relatively well. He's one of the lucky small business owners who have seen sales increase during the last two years.

 The ban on wearing his gear at public high schools probably won't break him, but that doesn't make it right."I'm pretty baffled by it," Leasor said.


It would be one thing if the school required uniforms. Then, there would be no debating what's allowed or what's not.

 As the rules stand now, there's too much room for interpretation.


As Cole's case illustrates, it's a distraction for students, teachers and administrators.

rochambeau

truth

the saddest thing in life is wasted talent.

unfortunately i know someone who is becoming a waste. depressing to watch.

dating is for the birds

so last saturday this cute guy came to my house to deliver some furniture. the delivery showed up earlier than i expected. i was hungover and looked like shit. the next day he called and asked me if i was dating anyone and if we could get together. so we hung out last night. within 5 minutes he told me that he has a girlfriend that he lives with. but he isn't happy. well, that's what they all say. i really believe that he thought that we could actually date while he is dating someone else. or maybe he just wanted to bang. most likely. and then today i find out that he isn't only dating her, and that they are actually newly engaged as of june. LOVELY. i even told him about my engagement and how the dude left me for someone else. 

this just makes me believe more and more that most dudes are absolute douchebags. i honetly feel bad for the chick because this guy probably attempts to run g on randoms all the time.

oh yea, he also told me that his dick is so huge that he has been uncompatible with women in the past. and then asked me yesterday if i wanted to see it. this was after he told me about the "girlfriend" that is actually his fiance. wow, this is one lucky bride to be. and i did not take him up on the offer to view his massive dick.

why does this shit happen to me? where is the normal dude that like good music, has good style, is funny, and has a good head on his shoulders? FML.

**update**
the chick called me last night and left a message. i didn't answer because it was from his phone. she called me a bitch and told me to leave him alone. i called her back and set her straight. yay for the drama! i feel like i am in ninth grade. fucking idiots.

missoni! i adore thee.

i love when target does the designer collabos and always try to get at least one piece from every collection (marc jacobs, can you hear me!?)

missoni did a collection and the stuff came out yesterday and the insanity that ensued was unparallelled. the target website got completely shut down from the influx of hits pretty much immediately. i couldn't go at lunch and had an afterwork florida oceanographic society committee meeting but left work 15 minutes early to head to target. the racks were pretty much barren except for like 4 things. i actually scored an awesome men's cardigan and a kid's poncho/cape. yes, i had to visit other departments in order to get anything. but hey, at least i scored some ill stuff. 

i wanted the damn flats but they didn't have my size and ebay already has them at about $200 large. didn't bother to get anything to resell. i'm not into that whole deal anymore.

gone but not forgotten

i can't believe it has been ten years already. my mom lived down in tribeca at the time of the attack and got some pretty detailed shots.

watched a really depressing and vivid documentary tonight. so sad.

and a pic of my brooklyn buddy ian reid (this dude has the best stories, ever.)

ps. i love robert de niro and michael bloomberg. good night.

for all things to love in stuart

the beach is probably number one. the access and the beauty of it. the best.

lay down with dogs, come up with crabs

so esch is obsessed with lizards and chases them all over the yard like a freak. last night on our walk he found an unpleasant surprise in the grass while chasing lizards...

i don't know if i feel worse for escher for getting hurt or for the crab for losing his arm. maybe it'll teach esch a lesson. doubting it though.

mmmm beer....

went on friday to check out the new wine bar in downtown stuart, occupying the space that once housed the wonderful dive the triangle; we now have "crush wine bar." the place where we used to buy cigarettes and beer underage, has been all dolled up and transformed into a chic new space. about a year ago, the city was touting the closing of the triangle as some sort of moving of city hall venture. no need for a bar when we can build city hall right there on the corner by the sailfish fountain. but alas, the government lied, and they just put another bar right in the same exact space. but, it isn't a dive, it's super fancy schmancy, which i am guessing makes the world, and martin county in general, a better place. 

they have a few walls of wine dispensers that you use an atm like card to get a taste, half a glass, or a full glass. the concept has been done before but it is still pretty neat. i am not the biggest wine drinker in town, but i was in luck because they have a hugely extensive beer list. this alone makes me happy to have this spot added to the local nightlife. the beer list is not only extensive, but the prices are reasonable as well. $4 for a good beer is not bad whatsoever. no real basic selections (bud light, miller light etc) on the menu so i did hear some people griping about that. but they have some of my faves, palm and monk in the trunk. deslish! all in all it was a good time. the service is slow but will hopefully improve, and some more decorations would be a good addition also. they don't really have any food, with the exception of some cheese and meat platters. being owned by eric of ian's tropical grill, i was a little sad about that, but crush is about the bevies and not the food. so don't go there if you are hungry.

   

leon & mathilda

the professional is for sure a classic. revisited it last night and remembered all the reasons why it is one of my faves. good acting, great plot, and bjork on the sountrack. what more could i ask for really?

when i was living in nyc i had a bf that lived uptown and when i'd drive to his place, i would have to drive by the corner where they filmed the scenes for the apartment building that leon and mathilda lived in, and the corner bodega that they shopped at. pretty awesome.



bon iver, bon iver

so, the new bon iver album is wonderful! all the songs are amazing, with the exception of #10 (beth/rest), which i dislike because he autotuned his voice. i mean really? who the fuck directed him to do something so stupid? the other nine songs are solid though. promise.

awesome trip

Connecticut was so pretty and green and hilly. Such a great escape. The air just smells better and the grass is so skinny and weird and soft. Doing the wifi thing right now up 10,000 feet on my way from the layover in Atlanta to PBI, landing at about midnight. Annoying chatty people to my left have finally ceased the annoying chatter. I do love vacation, and airport people watching, but I can't wait to get home, see my pups and sleep in my own comfy familiar bed.

I scored an awesome pair of Jack Rogers and a rad Obey thin long sleeve knit super heathered number. I love to "vacation shop." Didn't make it to NYC for fear of spending too much money. I'll get back there soon enough though.

ATL!

I had a 7am flight out of PBI this morning to Connecticut with a layover in Atlanta. Flight was delayed by an hour which made me miss my connecting flight. Instead of an hour layover I ended up with a 2.5 hour layover. So I decided to take a cab to the local Target to kill some time and grab some manicure supplies to keep me busy. On the way to Atlanta I sat next to a 9 year old Columbian kid that flew alone. I told him I would look out for him because I've been a professional solo flyer for 25 years. Well behaved smart little dude. Now I am ready to get some grub and take off at 12:47.

bronchitis and other misc wonderfulness

skipped work on monday. my voice was requesting a day off and i sounded like an old cigarette riddled 900 number worker. hit the beach with t for a nice walk and cleanup project. we picked up a whole bag of trash walking from house of refuge to bathtub. tons of tourists at bathtub, plus the house that is falling into the sea is for sale. what a bargain, i'm sure. nice to get out and walk and get in the water on a beautiful day. tried to work yesterday but couldn't swing it. hit the dr's office for the old standby, zpack and should be feeling better soon.

thanks king of leon for being a shitty band and having a drugged out lead singer and having to cancel my chance at seeing band of horses at a close venue. found out that they will play tonight without kings of leon but it's all the way in lauderdale, i have work tomorrow, and i am sick so i am skipping it. DISAPPOINTED!

as for the rest of the week, tomorrow is my birthday (boo) and i am headed to connecticut for 6 days saturday at 7am. can't wait to sleep in and be super preppy. ha! def plan to take a day tripper to nyc to shop a bit and just breath in the not so fresh summer air.

hang on to your iq

psl vs canada

i wouldn't date anyone from either and nothing good comes from them. they are both touching a place that has some coolness going on, yet stay so infested in nothingness.

requiem for a dream

i recently revisited this flick and had semi forgotten how truly fucked up this movie is. i have the book in a giant stack of "to read" titles but will move it up to the top and read it soon. great soundtrack as well. jared leto was so cool before he started that stupid band and wore too much makeup. he's still hot though.

truth

trip pics

i am obsessed with brick houses

 i was amazed at how dead this park area was at 11pm. curbs and hips screamed for a group of skaters to come by. pretty sure the cops would show up within seconds though. not even a homeless person chilling out here? unbelievable. 

savannah souvenirs

 

truly wanted to knock on this door and see what kind of decorating they had going on inside

 ivy covered steps at a savannah college of art & design house

 paula deen makes good crab soup

 magnolias!

 if you're ever in savannah, don't miss out on eating at the olde pink house. a fucking mazing.

 when i drink alone, i prefer to be by myself

 wish this pic was better because the architecture on this house was unparalleled

 i miss seeing street art on the norm

 always something to remind me of home

back in black

had an awesome trip! i love vacation. taking another in august and headed up to my wonderful born place of connecticut and def hitting up nyc for a few days too :)

i need a plan that enables me to not work for much longer. need to invent something or win the lotto. difficult to win the lotto when i never play but yea.

i hated stuart the whole time i was away but smiled when i saw the sign for the exit. when i got off and saw my familiar roads of stu-ville it felt good to be home. i have a real love hate relationship with this place. sometimes i don't want to run into 40 people from high school at musicfest. i miss museums, really good food from really far away places, amazing shopping, indie movie theaters, street culture, etc...but on the other hand i love that i can call kyle to come over and install a fan for me, and talk to ed and ki or notch about everything honestly and openly because i feel so comfortable with them. in the end, it is my friends that brought me back to this place and keeps me here. you can't form bonds like the ones i have with the few that i hold so dear. i just need to plan mini escapes more often. still in search for that ultimate partner in crime. not settling either.

on the road again

left savannah yesterday and took the hour drive to hilton head to visit my sister for a few days. my father has 5 kids in total with 4 women. janie is by far my favorite. we are very alike and she is wise beyond her years and just plain awesome. she's 19 and was the youngest until 3 years ago when he decided that it was in fact time to have a baby at the ripe old age of old. it's nice here, i have been here plenty of times, but this was the only time i can remember being happy as i was traveling here. prob because i wasn't being forced to come here to see people i didn't want to see. wanted to go to the beach today because my tanorexic self thinks i am getting pale with all  my time away from the sunshine state. weather looks like dog shit. 

wednesday was really super hot in savannah and i thought i was going to die from heat stroke, or at least pass out. this chick told me about this awesome organic, vegetarian/vegan market/cafe that was at the edge of the park so i decided to make my trek towards it around 1pm. little did i know that it was 2 miles away. it was 101 and ridiculously humid. so i get there and i don't want a shitty sogged out premade sandwich and ask for a freshy. crunchy vegan girl behind the counter was pissy about it but made it anyways. i told her i wanted one without tomatoes to make my request seem more valid. who wants a sogged out hummus and cucumber sandwich?! i walked around and looed at all the holistic meds and other misc veggie head items and came back to get my sammie and they had put a sign out that said "no more custom sandwiches." i mean really? eat a dick you rude lazy hairy armpitted vegan wench. i walked two miles to get this stupid sandwich!! it was good though. walked back along the park and saw some really beautiful homes. ate dinner at this amazing restaurant called the olde pink house. excellent service and even more excellent food. blt salad and duck with 2 fat tires = yummo.  i would definitely go back if i ever make it to savannah again, which i am pretty sure that i will. i wanted to try a ghost tour sometime while i was there but i decided against it since i can hardly stand to watch scary movies and i was staying alone in a weird hotel in an unfamiliar city. maybe next time. 

maybe i will go home on saturday, but it looks more like it'll be sunday. i don't have to be back at work until tuesday and i am really relishing my time away. relaxation and no stress is a great feeling.  

southern comfort

Still like it here but I ventured out of the historic area today and made my way to Publix, Starbucks, & TJ Maxx. It's ghetto in Georgia. It's like a fucked up southern Long Island type vibe. It's like the historic downtown area I'm staying in is Soho and today I made my way to the Bronx. Not sure if I could live here. The old homes I saw today on my drive back were beautiful though. It was brick house after brick house with some stately Victorians sprinkled in. I like driving here. Prob because it's different roads and it's not very busy so I can semi open it up. They also have a great beer selection at pretty much every place I've been. Fat Tire is delish and they not only have it on tap, but some places even stock 22s. I found a pretty cool Respects type bar last night. Haven't drank in so long that I got tipsy on 4 beers. They played great old Metallica songs and Sick of it All. Haven't heard them since at least 1999 but amazingly knew almost every word. Glad my memory is still sharp. I requested Fugazi Waiting Room but left 5 minutes later to make my trek back to the hotel. Called Notch to keep me company on my walk since he's a cop(haha.) He was wasted and so were D and Kyle so it was way worth it. Good times in all.

Today I ate at Paula Deens and I have no complaints. They do a buffet which I skipped. Sat at the bar and had a chicken breast, crab stew, and half order of fried green tomatoes with a big ole sweet tea. This was at 11am and I was full until honestly half an hour ago. Took the mad walk all around afterwards and saw some rad shops and architecture. The magnolia trees are gorgeous. I must have walked 3 miles just being random and wandering. I loved going into antique stores and not having anyone to tell me that I was taking too long or that it was boring. Certain benefits of being a lone ranger. Was going to hit a tapas spot for dinner but tapas is such a couples food I decided to skip it. Plus the spot was downstairs and I'm not feeling that whole too cool for street level thing right now. Newcastle and amazing pizza slice-ing it up instead. Cheaper and seemingly more yummy.

Not 100% on what tomorrow will bring but I'm thinking a sandwich and book in the park for a bit sounds right up my alley.

audi 5000

got my car back on friday. finally. Not sure what I think about it yet. Rebuilt the whole engine so I can't really compare it to the car it once was. Kinda more throaty now and a little zippier seeming in 3rd gear and beyond.

Left StuFla at 3:15pm today and was in Savannah by 9. Stopped twice on the way and made really good time. Absolutely had to get away and decompress. Don't have to be back at work until the 12th so I'll probably mosey on home Saturday or Sunday. So far it's pretty rad here. I came alone with no solid plans...just some ideas. Not gonna lie though...I did miss having a partner in the passenger seat on the drive up. I could use a full-time companion of the male persuasion some time soon. Getting semi lonely sometimes. Not sure if there's some sort of untapped resource of hot tall dudes that like Morrissey in Stuville but if anyone can point me in the right direction, it'd be appreciated.

Back to my salad and Fat Tire...peace out, til tomorrow.

Messing around in cyberspace

This go getter got my ichat address & was trying to get my dollars! haha

hello?

sbmendoza2

who is this?

Im nikki. Dont you remember?

sbmendoza2

from where?

We met before, what's up? 24/F here. You?

sbmendoza2

? from where?

Hmm. Have we talked before?

sbmendoza2

no

Oh sorry. I wasn't sure. But anyways.. What are you up to?

sbmendoza2

I'm working

Ooo. Im like sooo bored.

k, well im "like" trying to working, bye

sbmendoza2

Hey i got a idea. I want to get on my cam. Do you want to watch?

sbmendoza2

Cam? from Modern Family, yes, i want to watch, he's yummy

Yeah? Um, i don't get it, Ok you do have to signup for free because its connected through a site so i cant be recorded. Ok?

sbmendoza2

Um, no, go away, you sound ugly

Hey babe. trust me, Its real simple

I said no! I can tell by the way you type that you smell downstairs

sbmendoza2

http://access.im/6/nikki go there then at the top of the page click on the gold button at the top that says JOIN FREE. K?

sbmendoza2

no, your gross, you should go here http://www.vagisil.com/ & click on the Vagisil wash link

Also when you signup it asks for a credit card to verify your age.

sbmendoza2

wow, a girl that doesn't listen, how refreshing, by the way im only 7

It will not charge the card at all. Not even 1 penny. Its just to make sure that your over 18. Alright?

sbmendoza2

jackpot! stupid, smelly & cant read!, IM ONLY 7, i dont have a credit card! can i have your credit card?

K. When you get finished and logged in then view my cam and we can have some fun!!!

sbmendoza2

k,i like fun, like legos & trucks & stuff?

If you tip me some gold or join me in private I will do anything you ask me to.

sbmendoza2

I mean ANYTHING babe

sbmendoza2

k, cool, i want to build a monster truck out of pasta, then drive over cars made of cake & then eat them off my dogs back

can we do that?

Um, Lets talk on the site when you get in.

sbmendoza2

mum says I cant play right now, can we play later? I have school work to do, I can wake up when she goes to bed though, steal her credit card from her handbag, then we can play!

Hurry up im ready to play.

sbmendoza2

OK, let me just eat this dead cat I killed & then i'll get my pirate hat, steal that card & buy you some gold

sbmendoza2 has logged off

Hello?

Must See

Saw this first hand....

So Good....

Must See

Fuck Yeah

this week sucks

my indoor cat got out on sunday night and is missing. funny that he has never been let out before. hmmm wonder who was really drunk and mistakenly let him out. my stupid car is still in the shop and i was supposed to get a call on friday about it. maybe they can fucking keep it and i will just report it as missing and get insurance to buy me a new one. i can't post any pics on the blog because it keeps telling me to log into some cloud picker nonsense and i can't post the video from the interpol concert either.

week from hell and it is only tuesday. at least friday is the 13th and payday. woot woot.

Must See

What's the deal with links: http://www.jerryseinfeld.com/

smooth moves

barracuda

Music for the Minute

RIP

on the road again?

so i scraped some duckets together and will be getting the a3 towed to another shop to get a second opinion on what needs to be done. i like the dude at the first shop but heard from my old mechanic to "watch him." no bueno. i have been in serious depression mode for nearly two months over my damn car. if i get a new car i want the exact same one but brand new and it isn't time for that yet. 

crossing my fingers for semi good news. my pockets are in no condition to be raped.

Music for the Minute

Road Trip!

Atlanta July 22-23. Who's In?

Some Explanation Needed

No Explanation Needed

Quotes in "Quotations"

""This Church isnt like most Churches"...says all Churches".
Seth Woodbury MacFarlane 

Random News

haha Really? A Miley Cyrus sex doll, 3 Achey love holes! wow, wonder how many Billy Ray bought

Crazy Chinamen! 15 Story building in 2 days, wtf south florida? lived here for like 20 years & your still doing the same construction on US1!

The 2 best comedians, new Louie season in June! Watch it!

Some unfortunate logos, they should have hired me

And if i fall into the drink, I will say your name before i sink

and they called it puppppy love....

new and old are getting along really well. guess i am keeping the name for little dude. gizmo it is.